


Acacia

by ToTheMax



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Ok yall remember justin the walker fucker, i made him into an oc and youre gonna like it, if ur gonna piss on me about ocxcanon then get out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-02 02:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17879735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheMax/pseuds/ToTheMax
Summary: Justin Whittaker is on his way back home to Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth. After leaving for six years to join a band of Whisperers, he realized that Ericson's was where he needed to be.He got quite the shock with all the changes, but after rekindling his friendships, and his romantic interest in his best friend, there's nowhere he'd rather be than home.





	Acacia

**Author's Note:**

> So, all the original characters are mone and my friend's ocs thst we call the Nature Kids, because all their names are nature-related. This is a little drabble I did for Acacia, also known as Justin. 
> 
> By now you probabky know of the graffiti in-game that says "Justin fucked a walker" correct? Well I decided to make Justin into an OC and then......this happened. I hope you enjoy it. And if u dont I hope u enjoy the next fic u read.

_ “So, uh… why I got sent here? It's not a fun story, but… I guess. So, if you were here at Ericson before the world fucked over, you'd know this. Uh… y'all know me as Justin, right? Or Acacia. I… wasn't always called Justin. Hell, if my parents were here right now they'd still be calling me what I used to go by, what name they gave me. The name's not important, what is important is that I wasn't always called Justin. It wasn't always ‘Oh, Justin? He's in his room.’ Wasn't always like that. I… I went up to mom and pop and I said… I said, ‘hey, I want you to call me Justin. And I want you to call me a he.’ They just near flipped their shit sayin’ that I refused the gift God gave me or some shit. I, uh… yeah. they phoned up Ericson's, askin’ if they had a spare room for a twisted kid. That's what they called me, you know. Twisted. Sick in the head. Not thinkin’ straight. Then again, I'm still workin’ on being straight [chuckle]. Uh, anyway, yeah. That wasn't the only reason, either. I, um… they properly diagnosed it when I sat down with the Ericson counselor, but I'm also bipolar. Some weeks I can stand on toppa’ the world, hunt down every last rabbit in the damn forests, work myself halfway to death in the greenhouse. Then the next week, I can't even drag myself out of bed or remember to eat at least a morsel of somethin’. Mom and Pop thought something was wrong with me big time. Thought Ericson could fix me. Well, I don't need no fixin’. I need help, but I don't need no fixin’. Ain't nothing wrong w’ me. I hope you guys can understand that.” _

 

===============

 

Justin’s arms were tightly clenched around each other, eyes staring down at the familiar path beneath his scuffed and torn boots. It’s been so long since he’s walked the forest road, but he surprised himself at how he still knew it like the back of his hand. His fingers twitched around the cloth of his jacket, mouth nervously downturned.

For the first time in six years, he was going back to Ericson’s.

_ It’s going to be different,  _ he told himself.  _ There’s not going to be people there that you want to. Sylvia is gone. So is Mark, and Jaden, and… everyone. There might not be anybody there that you know. It was your home first, you get to call the shots. Doesn’t matter who took it over, you have a right to your dorm again. _

He wishes that he hadn’t run away. He wishes that he didn’t find the Whisperers, or submit to their customs. He wishes that he would have just sucked it up with Marlon as leader, that he could have just kept a level head.

Then, he wouldn’t be so scarred. He wouldn’t have killed those people, he wouldn’t have skinned a walker and wore its skin for  _ six whole years-- _

He stopped in his tracks, long locks of acacia-toned hair falling in front of his face. He kept his arms around himself as he stood, but then he raised his head and looked up. He could see a glimpse of the familiar grand gates of Ericson right in front of him, past a small layer of trees, and his heart leaped into his throat. He was nervous now. He couldn’t see anybody roaming the courtyard, except a flash of black hair that ran into the admin building.

_ Who all is there? Is Marlon still leading things? I hope he’s not.  _ Justin reached behind him, grasping onto the handle of his hacksaw and unclipping it from his belt loop, keeping it raised at his side in case someone hostile had taken over the area. “Okay,” he whispered to himself, “just go up there. Scope it out. It’s your place, not theirs.” He took another step forward--

Then, a force from above immediately slammed down upon him, knocking his hacksaw from his grasp and pinning his chest to the dirt. 

Justin screamed out, flailing his arm up as a hand grabbed him. As he tried to get his surroundings, he saw a flash of a blue shirt and the wisps of light brown hair. “Hey!” He cried, struggling against the force, “Lemme go! Hey, get offa’ me!” He swung his fist out and it connected, making the boy stagger back. “You betta’ lay off!” The boy growled wordlessly, twirling the knife in his hands. Justin lunged for his hacksaw, swinging it around as well. “Listen, buck, I’m jus’ tryna get back home.”

“Then you’re going the wrong direction,” A new voice said, although Justin couldn’t see it. “Ain’t nobody know about our place other than us.” He didn’t recognize that voice, either.  _ Some other group really  _ did  _ take it over! Those fucking punks!  _

“‘Ay, I was there first!” He glared at the new person that came into view, a very freckled face with a long scar across her nose and her brown hair pulled into a low braid hung over her shoulder. “I-I mean… I ran away a while ago, but this is still my home!” He kept his grip tight onto his hacksaw in case any of them charged him.

“Prove it,” The braided girl snapped, tossing her axe from hand to hand with an aggravated snuff. “How do we know you’re not a raider?”

“A…  _ what _ !?” Justin’s chest heaved with panic. “You guys really got my home wrangled up in raiders? You fuckin’ serious!? The real question is who the fuck do you think you are, takin’ over our turf!”

“ _ Our _ ?” The girl walked towards him, eyes dangerous. “You haven’t even told us who the fuck you are!”

“Name’s Justin, and you’re really don’t wanna test me,” Justin hissed, raising his arm with the hacksaw in it. “I’m gonna go in there, to my room, and you all better fuck off and find somewhere else.” 

Right when he started to the gate, the brown-haired boy yelled out and tackled him, lightly singing his knife into Justin’s shoulder. Justin cried out, and swung his hand to bury the blade of the hacksaw into the boy’s side. “Listen!” He shouted, I don’t wanna kill ya’, but you’re really leavin’ me no choice!” With a shaky hand, he had the boy pinned down by his neck, his knee pressed hard into his chest as he was ready to slam the blade down on his face.  _ I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-- _

Something whacked him in the head, and he faltered, trying to get hs footing. “What the--!” He whipped his head to the girl, who was now standing on one leg, the other seemingly… wait, the other leg was laying right beside them.  _ A detachable prosthetic? Clever weapon, but…  _ “Did you just throw your fucking leg at me!?”

“And I’ll do it again!” The girl cried. “Get offa’ him like that!”

The silent boy shoved Justin off of him then, yelling out and unlatching a cleaver from his belt loop and shoving him to the ground.  _ He’s stronger than he looks,  _ Justin noted, but still rammed the blade of his saw to the bandages on his leg as he set the other foot on his chest. “Hey!” Justin coughed out, “Please, I’m serious! This is my home!”

The boy holding him down just coughed disbelievingly, forcing his foot harder onto his chest with the large, rusty blade of a cleaver right at his throat. The boy had a glare plastered onto his face, heterochromic eyes narrow with his tongue sticking out between grit teeth. Two tufts of hair stuck straight up from the rest of his hair, flowing with the wind. Justin clearly didn’t recognize him, but he knew that he better stay still.

“Woah,  _ woah _ !” A voice suddenly cried out, causing the boy to look up from Justin. The gates to the school creaked open, and footsteps thundered their way. “Hey, wa-wait! Owl, wait a sec!” Justin watched as another boy came into view; this one he recognized. “Wait, I think I know this guy.”

“Hang on…” Justin squinted at the boy, taking in the familiar sight of lopsided dreadlocks and a freely-flowing coat, hands splayed out nervously with panic written all over his freckled face. “...Louis!?”

The other boy grunted and stuck his tongue back in his mouth, making a few hand gestures that he had to work to maneuver around the cleaver in his hand. He seemed disbelieved, and perhaps a little angry.

“Yeah, I know him!” Louis let a small smile appear on his face, “You’re… Justin! Oh, my god!”

At Louis’s outburst, the silent boy took his foot off Justin’s chest and strapped the cleaver to his belt loop. His face still held tones of irritation and… something Justin couldn’t quite place, but he was calm. 

“Louis, holy shit, you’re still alive!” Justin accepted Louis’s offer of help up, then immediately wrapped him in a hug. “Oh, my-- thank god! I-I thought everyone died!”

“We thought  _ you _ died, man!” Louis said, patting his back happily before pulling away. A large grin that Justin knew well was stuck on his face. “Where have you been? Why’d you disappear!?”

“I-- wait, you really know these punks!?” Justin whipped his head to the one-legged girl, who was now sitting on the ground, reattaching her prosthetic to the stump her real leg was. “What happened while I was gone? Where da’ hell is Marlon?”

At the mention of Marlon, Louis’s smile dropped, and his eyes casted downwards. “We, uh… Marlon is… we have a lot to catch up on.”

The silent boy coughed, holding his hands up in a  _ what the hell?  _ gesture. His foot tapped, and he waved his hands around. It then occurred to Justin that he could be using sign language.

“Yeah,” the girl said, latching her axe into a strap on her back, “Are you gonna introduce us, or do we needa’ connect the dots here?”

Louis cleared his throat and smiled once again, slinging an arm around Justin’s shoulder. “Guys, this is Justin Whittaker. One of the original Ericson troubled youth. Justin, this is my boyfriend Owl--” He pointed to the silent boy, “and his buddy Hazel.” He gestured to the girl, who nodded respectfully.

“Woah,  _ boyfriend _ ?” Justin exclaimed, looking to Louis, then Owl. “And, his name is… Owl?”

Owl crossed his arms with a curt nod; he seemed softened up, but he didn't look like giving a friendly greeting. He then looked to Hazel, who seemed much kinder with the scowl off her face. 

“Wait,” Hazel said, “Justin, as in… Justin the walker fucker?”

“The  _ what _ !?” Justin exclaimed, jerking away from Loui’s hug, eyes wide. “What da’ hell kinda lies are you spillin’ ‘bout me?”

Louis fought a laugh back, but it didn’t work well. “Ha-ha, uh… Yeah… Like I said, a lot to catch up on.”

Justin sighed exasperatedly, looking at Owl and Hazel. “Well, uh… it's good to meet ya. Maybe not the best meetup, but…” Justin scratched the back of his head. “I get it. But, why da’ hell did ya think I was a raider? Are y'all caught up in raider business now?”

Hazel replied as the four started walking towards the gates. “We, uh. It's not completely figured out, but there's a group out there that Marlon was dealing with. He was, um… trading away the kids in the school in return for safety from ‘em, it was super fucked up. Apparently they're fighting a war of some sort and need soldiers to fight it.”

“Holy shit,” Justin spat out, feeling a sick twist in his stomach. “He better not still be the leader after that shit. Where d’ hell is he?” He felt his fists clench as he looked around the barren courtyard. “Where is everyone, for a matter of facts?”

Owl coughed, trying to get Justin's attention. He waved his hands in sign, a solemn look on his face.

“Uh,” Justin started, “sorry, I don't speak in hands.”

Owl huffed, a scowl crossing his face as he dragged his finger across his neck.

“What he's trying to say is… Marlon's dead,” Louis said, “He, um… he got shot. Night after last. It's also when we found out what he did to the twins.”

“The twins?” Justin echoed, eyebrows up. “As in, Tenn's twins? Sophie and Minerva?” At Louis’s sad nod, his fists unclenched, and he stopped at the fountain he knew all too well, spotting a semi-washed off puddle of blood staining the concrete. “Jesus, what da’ hell have I missed…?”

“Well,” Hazel said, “You missed meeting me, Owl, Buck, Fern, Clem, Sarah, AJ… Marlon traded away the twins, nearly killed Brody, got shot by AJ-- all that happened, like, yesternight, by the way…”

“Oh, fuck…” Justin sat at the edge of the fountain. “He… he tried to kill Brody? He…? Why would…” He looked up to see Owl jogging off, hand to his face. “And… all those people you mentioned: Fern, Buck, AJ… who da’ hell…” A memory slotted itself into his mind. It was the one thing that solidified his decision to leave his old group behind and come back home. “Wait,” he said, feeling his eyes burn, “please tell me Mitch is alright. I-I gotta know, where da’ hell is Mitch?”

“Mitch is okay,” Louis said comfortingly, sitting down beside him. “Hey, Hazel? Can you give us a second? Let everyone know that Justin's back, they'll know who you mean. Also, make sure Owl's alright?”

Hazel nodded and pat Justin's back. “Uh, welcome back home, I guess. I'll be around.” With that, she left the two to tend to her business.

Justin breathed out slowly, bending his head into his hands as Louis rubbed his back. “You're serious?” he asked softly, “Mitch is okay? Where is he?”

“Mitch is okay,” Louis repeated, “he, Clem and Ruby are in the greenhouse, I think. He's missed you, too.” He looked across the courtyard, watching Rosie emerge from the graveyard, but then go right back inside to lay at Marlon's grave. “Man, you really dodged a bullet by coming here today instead of a few nights ago. Just missed Marlon's funeral yesterday morning. We kicked out Clem and AJ, but they didn't last a night out there before we took them back in. They came by… I dunno, like, five hours ago?”

“Who are these two? Clem and AJ?” Justin raised his head, looking to Louis before looking down at his arm, at the large scar on the back of his hand. “AJ was the one who killed Marlon?”

“Uh, yeah… it was a pretty rough night.” Louis breathed in and sat back, ready to tell him everything. 

Justin took in the information as Louis retold what he’s missed. When he was done, he just sat back and tried to process the information. “So,” he said slowly, “All that’s left is Mitch, you, Vi, Ruby, Brody, Willy, Tenn, Aasim, Omar…”

“And the new kids are Owl, Buck, Fern, Hazel, Sarah, Clem, and AJ.” Louis tried looking at his face. “So, yeah… that’s what you’ve missed here at Ericson. What about you, man! Why did you disappear in the first place?”

Justin swallowed heavily, wringing his scarred hands together. “Well… I actually ran away. I made sure everyone was asleep, I didn’ wanna make a thing out of it. I just… After watching Sylvia go like ‘dat, I couldn’t stan’ just sitting around while Marlon led things the way he did.”

Louis hummed in understanding. “I get that, honestly, but… Mitch worried himself sick those next few days. We thought you were attacked by walkers, so Marlon pulled back the safe zone.”

“I-I didn’t mean to make such a mess,” Justin admitted, “But I just--"

_ “JUSTIN!” _

Before Justin could barely register Mitch’s voice, much less whirl around to face his old friend, he was tackled to the ground in the tightest hug he’s ever gotten. Justin immediately recognized the shaggy, disheveled brunette and hugged him right back, relief crashing through him in waves upon seeing that Mitch was alright.

“Mitch!” Justin cried, his hands curled into his jacket and his hair, and he couldn’t help but press his lips in a messy kiss to the top of his head. “Holy shit, you’re--”

“You’re alive!” Mitch finished for him, laughing wholeheartedly as he ran one of his hands though Justin’s hair. “Holy fuck, man! Where the hell have you been!?”

“Shit!” Justin swore happily, leaning back as Mitch buried his teary face into Justin’s neck. He opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by faces, old and new. “Uh, hey, guys!”

“You better start explaining yourself before I'm the one that kicks you out this time,” Violet greeted, arms crossed, though her wide grin betrayed her snarky comment.

“Justin, holy shit,” he heard Omar whisper, hushed.

“Justin? Who the hell is this guy?” An unrecognizable voice said. Justin saw it came from a dark-skinned boy, who seemed to be nursing bloody knuckles, as well as supporting Brody under his arm, who definitely could have been looking better.

Mitch finally let go of him and let him sit up, wiping at his teary face. “Guys,” he announced happily, “for those of you that don't know him, this is Justin. He's one of the Ericson kids that were here before the world went to shit, so… we go way back.”

“What I wanna know is where did he go in the first place?” Aasim asked, a hand running through his hair, a disbelieved smile on his face. “Jesus, dude, I barely recognize you! The only thing I see right is the hair.”

“Woah!” Willy exclaimed, pushing through the crowd to come face to face with Justin as he and Mitch stood up. “Look at that jacket!” He grabbed Justin’s hand, staring at the mangled scar. “Woah…! How did  _ this  _ happen?”

“Okay!” Justin said, trying to command everyone's attention and calm down the crowd, looking back as Ruby and a girl he didn't recognize came from behind them carrying rolls of barbed wire on top of bags of fertilizer. “I… have a lot of talkin’ to do. A lot.” He took his hand away from WIlly, who respectfully backed up but seemed very ecstatic to hear his story.

“Damn right!” Mitch said, though it was clear he wasn't angry. “Where have you been all this time?”

Ruby joined the tall boy and Brody, seeming slightly miffed. “I told you two to stay in bed and rest up. You especially, Brody!”

“I couldn't just sit in bed when Justin's back!” Brody protested. “Come on, I’m not even that hurt!”

“Not that hurt--!?”

“Come on, Ruby,” Louis said, “Let ‘em stay out here a bit. We haven’t seen Justin in… so long.”

Ruby just rolled her eyes and smiled. “Alright, alright.” She looked to Justin. “Where you been, big guy?”

Justin smiled at her nickname and popped the collar of his letterman, which spelled out ‘WHISPER’ across both sides. “I found this… this kinda clan. They called themselves the Whisperers. Lives among walker herds, completely blends in to get around.”

“Whisperers?” the girl who came along with Ruby asked, setting down her bag of fertilizer with a huff. “Did y'all wear walker skin?” She lifted her cap off her head and wiped her forehead before settling it back among her curls.

“Yeah…. how'd you know of it?” He studied her face to see if he recognized her, but nothing was familiar.

“I met a Whisperer… er, maybe an ex-Whisperer, out in the woods last night. Did you ever know a James?” the girl asked, hands on her hips. “He was… black hair, real nice.”

Justin hummed, scratching the shaved side of his head. “Probably. I mean, you gotta be more specific, there were about eighty black haired James's back at my old camp. I wouldn't put it past him leavin’, though. We all have our reasons.”

“Why'd  _ you _ leave?” Aasim asked softly, watching as Justin sat back next to Louis on the fountain, Mitch right at his side. Everyone scattered out, sone sitting and some standing as Justin started his story.

“Well, they ain't exactly the nicest moth'fucks in this world,” He replied, vaguely gesturing to the fresh, bloody scars on his face. “Got these three up here just last night when I left. Yeah, I had to fight my way out.” The memory settled on him coldly, dampening his light mood. “W...we don't have to get into details.”

“That's fair,” Mitch said, “looks like they hurt.”

“Eh, these are nothin’.” Justin swiped at the fairly large cut across his lips, smudging a speck of crimson across his fingers. “I got way worse. Those motherfuckers left me for dead more time n’ I can count, and it ain't like they cared ‘bout me. Just what I could do.” His voice gained a tone of disdain and remorse. 

“To them, all I was was a machine to crush bones and break hearts. A meat shield, most likely. Take the brunt of the force. Just b'cuz I'm rail-thin enough t’ crawl through the super-heated vent and strong enough t’ take the secon’ ta’ third degree burns needed to get out on the other side and unlock the gate; just so we can let in some Walkers and fall another community that ain't like us.” 

He looked up from his dark rambling, at everyone's silent faces. They stared at him with a mix of sorrow and fear.  _ That’s about what I expected.  _ “I ain't like that now,” he promised quickly, “I… I saw that what we were doin’ was wrong. So, so wrong. I left camp just last night after I scuffled around a bit. I been walkin’ all night.”

“You're not tired?” Ruby gently questioned. “You look like you got a full night's rest.”

“Oh,” Justin breathed out a chuckle. “I been up way longer than twenty-four hours before. One all-nighter is nothin’ new.” He rubbed the back of his neck, then ran that hand through the back of his hair. “Uh, anyway… yeah. I been with them travellin’ all around the East coast for the past… forever.” He swallowed hard. “I… our leader said that we were comin’ up to Virginia, and I just remembered Ericson’s. I started a plan for leaving as soon as I recognized the roads, and made sure nobody followed me. Made real sure.”

Everyone was quiet for a second before Mitch cleared his throat. “Well, it’s damn good to have you back, man. I’m sure we got room at the table for another mouth to feed.”

“Sure do,” Omar agreed with a wide smirk. “Not to boast or anything, but I’m makin’ a pretty mean rabbit stew lately.”

“Yeah,” a high voice said sarcastically, and Justin saw it coming from a rather short girl who was standing beside Hazel, “the same ol’ rabbit stew that tastes like cheese water every night.”

“Well, sor- _ ry _ we don’t have the world’s best spices,” Omar countered, but his smirk broke into a grin to prove he wasn’t angry. “Deal with the cheese water.”

“It’s gourmet cheese water,” Louis corrected, “Anything’s a gourmet meal with Chef Omar.”

Justin felt his heart warm at the banter; it was the same playful arguing that he did with everyone before he left. It felt like a punch in the nostalgia just to hear their voices again. As he subconsciously leaned into Mitch’s shoulder, he felt happier than he can remember. Even the hearty drunk nights with the Whisperers didn’t feel this inviting and radiant. 

Ericson’s felt like home. A home that the Whisperers could never be.

 

===================================================================

 

Among the next few days of getting prepared for the upcoming raider attack, Justin slowly bonded with the new kids he had never met before.

Hazel was loud and sarcastic, and often threw her prosthetic leg at rabbits during her hunting shifts with Louis and Aasim. She proved to be very loyal, though, when a walker snuck up on Fern and she didn’t hesitate in smashing her axe through its head to keep her safe. She said when the scare was over, “You fuck w’ my friends, you fuck w’ me. And I can damn well guarantee that you don’t wanna fuck w’ me.”

Fern was a little brash at first, seeming to have some sort of short fuse, but Justin found her entertaining. The taller girl that she was with, Sarah, would often just simply pick her up when she got too riled up. They both repulsed the idea that they were sisters when Justin asked (due to some striking similarities), and confirmed that they were instead dating. He found their dynamic cute: A small, angry kid like Fern and a kind, gentle soul like Sarah were even matches to mellow each other out.

Buck seemed to be intensely worried about Brody, who’s bloody head wound was healing rather well. He was rarely seen not with her, but when he was on duty,  he got things done quick. He could take down a tree for firewood quicker than Justin’s ever seen, as well as find some sort of food for his horse, Bronx, who took very kindly to Justin’s attention when they met. Buck explained that he grew up in a hunter’s household, so surviving like this is second nature for him. As gentle a giant as he seemed, he often got ticked off at something or other (normally a walker) and would attempt to punch it to death. Ruby has had to keep him in Brody’s room so he doesn’t completely break his fingers off.

Owl warmed up to Justin, and silently explained (with help from Louis) that his mood was dampened because of Marlon’s absence. He was a bit quirky, Justin could admit. His tongue was almost always sticking out of his mouth, and he had a knack for climbing way up high on his lookout shifts. If Justin listened on a silent night, he could hear a music box faintly ringing in the dorm room next to him. Despite all this, he appreciated that he got right to the point of matters. He proved to be a very adept survivor despite his major limp on his left side. All he had to say-- or, rather sign-- about it was that a walker bit him and he reacted quick.

Clementine was AJ’s guardian. The two were thick as thieves, one always going where the other went. Justin couldn’t hide his shock that AJ was just a small child, but AJ quickly apologized for killing Marlon, and explained that he was trying to atone for what he’d done. Clementine spoke for him a little, saying that they’ve seen some pretty rough sights ever since the world started dying, and he made the wrong reaction. Justin knew to not press them for details, he had seen firsthand how unforgiving the world out there is. Still, Clementine had the heart of a leader, and AJ was a very hard worker. When he wasn’t stuck to Clem’s side, he was usually out on lookout with Tenn, and Clementine spent her time planning traps and defenses with Violet. Justin was in awe at how much she knew about defending the school with just a simple look around the courtyard. She explained that she was once part of a siege, and that she did this stuff all the time with them.

Even though there were so many people to know, he couldn’t help but spend his chores with Mitch and Willy. It seems as if they picked up right where they left off-- joking, laughing, planning bombs and sticking close. Mitch was how Justin found out about the graffiti about him in the Admin building. “I think I’d remember if I fucked a walker,” he said, swiping his hand among the dried paint. “I absolutely did  _ not _ .”

Despite all the new faces, he felt as if they’d been friends since he arrived at Ericson’s all those years ago. They clicked immediately, and Hazel and Fern dubbed his nickname ‘Acacia” due to the color of his hair. He sat with the new faces at dinner to get more acquainted, but he didn’t pass up the opportunity for a card game with his old friends.

“What’s the game?” Clementine asked, stacking her and AJ’s bowl on top of each other as Omar came by to collect them. AJ hopped off the bench to sit with Tenn, WIlly, Fern and Sarah at another table, and Owl pecked Louis on the head as he turned into his lookout shift.

“How about we play a nice game of War?” Louis proposed, shuffling the cards in his hand. “Winner gets to ask Justin a question, and vice versa if he wins.”

“Aw, yeah,” Justin said, a grin overtaking his face as he leaned forward. “We got a lot to catch up on.”

“We did this exact same game when I first came here,” Clementine reminisced, sitting back on her seat a bit. “Do you always play catch-up or get-to-know like this?”

“It’s the best way,” Louis said, his smirk never leaving his face as he started dealing out the cards to Justin, Mitch, Violet, Aasim, Omar, Clem and himself. Everyone else was at another table or tending to nightly duties; Justin could pretty much guarantee that Buck and Brody were resting soundly in their room. “Alright, men: flip!”

Justin turned over his card, a red Three of Hearts, and looked around the table. A grinning King of Spades was between the fingers of Louis, with everyone else drawing a number card. Just by the look on his narrow eyes and upturned smirk, Justin knew what he was going to ask.

“So, Acacia-tree,” Louis started, “Anyone around that you… like? Maybe someone from your old group, those Whisperers?”

“Louis, really?” Mitch scoffed, rolling his eyes. He had a sneer that only Justin could see.

“What, you scared he’s not gonna say you?” Louis shot back. That got Mitch to groan, and Justin to laugh.

“Well, I can tell you for a fact there was no liking anybody, romantic or otherwise, back at the Whisperer camp,” Justin answered with a light chuckle. “I hated pretty much everyone’s guts back there.”

“What about here?” Louis quizzed, eyebrows raised.

“Louis,” Violet sternly chastised, “Not even five days and you’re getting personal.”

“He never specified there was no one here he didn’t like,” Louis countered.

“Yeah, I didn’t,” Justin said, arms crossed with his card in his fingers and a smile overtaking his lips. HIs heart did a flutter-jump as the sentence left his mouth, and he couldn’t help but glance at Mitch, who was staring hard at the table, hands wound together.

“...Care to elaborate?” Clementine asked, a playful smile on her face. Her tone was soft, yet had a teasing tone he expected.

“Mmm,” Justin replied, shaking his head. “No, I don’t.” He cast a playful smile back at her, eyes shining.

“Fair enough,” Violet said, cutting off whatever Louis was going to say. “Not all of us wanna share every detail about ourselves.”

“Alright, alright,” Louis said, hands up in surrender. “I’ll lay off. C’mon now; flip!”

Justin flipped his card at the same time everyone else did, but his brain was caught up in just about everything except the game going on. More specifically, he couldn’t fight the urge to glance at Mitch, who was staring right back at him.

In his dorm room, Justin was snuggled under the familiar tattered blankets on his bed, his hands supporting his head on the pillow. He stared at the mattress above him, his wringing thoughts keeping him wide awake.

He was thinking about Mitch. Again.

He’d been thinking of Mitch every night for the past six years. Even at the Whisperer camp, his dear friend was always on his mind throughout everything. Mitch really was the one thing to keep him running. Just the thought that he was safe, and okay, in the walls of Ericson. Everything about him just wrapped Justin in a blanket of joy and love--

_ That’s what it is, ain’t it?  _ He asked himself,  _ You’re in love, aren’t you?  _ He took a deep breath, feeling the oxygen swirl and fill up his lungs, and he held that breath in his chest for a while. He let it sit in his ribs, taking in the ache before breathing out and reaching one hand down to his chest, feeling his heart thump.

_ Yeah. I’m in love. Son of a bitch. _


End file.
